Always be my Mary
by LissyGray
Summary: Rory and Paris are living their lives in Hartford when an unexpected friend returns to his life in Hartford.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the rights to Gilmore Girls. All characters are the property of Amy Sherman-Palladino.**

* * *

Rory's day started off like any other day, except today was Paris and Doyle's engagement party. Hartford society events were a part of Rory Gilmore's life whether she wanted it or not. She was one of Paris's best friends and her maid of honor. As if on cue, her phone rang. Juggling her coffee and strawberry pop-tart, she answered.

"Hello, Paris."

"Are you on your way yet?!" Paris asked frantically.

"No, remember I stayed at my grandparents' pool house? I can be there in 10 minutes."

"Okay. Fine. I need you here soon. I think people are avoiding me."

"Imagine that? People avoiding your authority." she rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee.

"Rory! Now is not the time for your sardonic comments."

"Alright, alright. I'll grab my things. See you soon."

Paris practically hung up before Rory could finish saying soon. Rory could hear her berating someone about where they were putting the flowers before the phone went silent. She could not imagine what it was going to be like at the wedding. Rory finished off her coffee and grabbed her dress bag, makeup bag, and purse. When she got to Paris's house, a maid opened the door and had a terrified look on her face. Rory could hear shouting coming from the back of the house.

"Has she been like this all morning?" she inquired as she handed the maid her things, "please put these in Paris's room for me." The maid nodded and scurried off to avoid the wrath of Paris.

Rory spent the afternoon running interference with Paris and the event staff. Eventually she was able to convince Paris that she had to get ready.

Once the party started, Paris calmed down. Doyle and Paris greeted guests as they began to arrive. One guest though, Paris was not expecting.

"Tristan?" as she walked towards him, he smiled. He still looked the same, but older.

"Paris, it's been a long time."

She looked genuinely confused, "What are you doing here?"

"My parents sent me in their place. They're away in Europe."

"I heard you were back in Hartford. I just didn't expect to see you socializing."

Tristan's face fell, "I wasn't planning on it. I've been out of touch with Hartford society for quite some time. I heard the party was for your engagement though and we've known each other for a long time. I figured why not?"

"I'm glad you came. We should catch up some time. I'm sorry I can't talk to you longer, but I need to find my fiancé." Paris turned to walk away, but then turned back for a moment, "Also, be nice to her when you see her."

Before he could ask who she was referring to, she rushed off across the room. _What was that all about?_ Tristan stood there thoroughly puzzled. He decided to find a quiet room to get away from everyone. He really did not want to talk to anyone else he knew. Of course, he found himself in the music room with a grand piano. He sat down on the piano bench and pressed a couple of the keys. The door opened and he turned to see who was disturbing his peace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here." the girl said rapidly as she turned to leave. She hadn't even seen his face. His breath caught in his throat. He knew that voice.

"Mary?"

Rory Gilmore stopped dead in her tracks when she heard that name. "What did you just call me?"

"Mare, is it really you?" He had stood up and come closer to her. She still hadn't turned around.

All of a sudden, Rory felt things she hadn't felt in years. She was afraid to turn around and see him again. She felt like she was 16, despite the fact that she was nearly 30 years old. His hand gently wrapped around her wrist and he turned her towards him. _Tristan Dugrey. How did he have such an effect on her after 13 years?_

"Tristan."

Before she could say anything else, he closed the distance between them and kissed her gently, but she could feel his hunger for her and it scared her. He didn't know if she had a boyfriend or a husband and in this moment, he didn't care. He just wanted to touch her and see that she was real. He felt her press her hands against his chest and he backed off.

She was blushing a bright red, but she didn't look upset. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Well, I figured I owed you a kiss. Since the last time we saw each other I wanted to kiss you, but your goon of a boyfriend was staring at us." He quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching.

"Don't worry. I don't have a boyfriend. No one's going to beat you up, except maybe Paris."

He looked at her curiously, "Yeah, what is going on with you two? You're friends?"

"We have a lot to catch up on."


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own the rights to Gilmore Girls. All characters are creations of Amy Sherman-Palladino.**

* * *

Sunday morning, Rory had brunch with Paris and Doyle. After brunch, Doyle had to spend some time with his parents before they left, so he politely excused himself. Paris had noticed that Rory seemed unusually quiet. Rory was cradling her coffee cup and staring off into nowhere in particular.

"Rory? Hello...are you listening to me?" Paris waved her hands a bit and sounded irritated.

Rory looked over at Paris and then realized she hadn't heard a thing she'd said in the last few minutes.

"Oh. Paris, I'm sorry. What did you say?" she looked apologetically at her.

Paris pursed her lips and then released a sigh. "You saw him yesterday, didn't you?"

Rory tried to play innocent, "Who?"

"You know who. What happened?"

"We said like two things to each other...and…" Rory peered into her coffee as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"And?! Gilmore, don't hold out on me."

"Don't get upset." she looked up at Paris, who was staring her down, "He kissed me."

"I'm going to kill him. He hasn't seen you in 13 years and he kisses you. I mean what if you were married or dating someone? He's still the same old Tristan."

Rory let out a laugh. "It's okay. I don't think he's the same Tristan. Something is different."

"Well, did you at least talk after the kiss?"

"We were going to, but one of the staff ran by saying you were looking for me. I gave him my cell number and then when I looked for him later, he was gone." _I hope my disappointment isn't showing too much. I don't want her to know there is still something between us. Not until I know what exactly is going on._

"Did he call you or text yet?"

Rory shook her head no. Paris could see that she didn't want to discuss it any further. She changed the subject, as if they hadn't had a conversation about Tristan and started talking about wedding seating arrangements.

A few hours later, Rory was reading a book and relaxing. She was having the floors in her townhouse redone, so she was staying at the pool house for a couple days. Her grandmother wanted her to just live in the pool house, but Rory's townhouse was closer to work. She could walk when it was nice out. She worked for Hartford's largest online news website, she still went into the office when necessary, but was mostly allowed to work from wherever she wanted. Rory was about to put the book down to find food when her text message alert went off.

(860) 555-4500: Hi. It's Tristan.

Rory: Hi. What happened to you yesterday? I looked for you.

Tristan: I couldn't take being in there with all those people. Sorry I left without saying bye. I figured you had your hands full with Paris.

Rory's stomach growled loudly. She wanted to order food, but she also wanted to talk to Tristan. She really didn't like to text that much and liked conversations in person. She wasn't even sure if the decision she was about to make was a good one.

Rory: Do you want to have dinner with me?

Tristan: Like right now? It's 4. Have you become an old lady, Mary?

Rory: Haha. I had a late brunch with Paris. We don't have to order food immediately. I want to catch up in person.

Tristan: You just want me to kiss you again. ;)

 _I'm glad he can't see my face right now._

Rory: I can rescind the dinner offer if you're going to be obnoxious.

Tristan: It was a joke. I apologize. I would love to have dinner. Where?

Rory: My grandparents' pool house.

Tristan: Okay. I'll be there in about 15 minutes. ;)

Rory: Cool. See you soon.

She put the phone down and looked around. This place was a mess. She got up and frantically started to clean or at least make it appear clean. She always refused to let her grandmother's maids clean the pool house until she was gone. She liked her things to be left alone because she could remember where they were if she put them there. 15 minutes had never gone by so quickly. She heard a knock on the door.

* * *

 **Yes, you will have to wait until the next chapter to see what happens. Plus, I'm tired. I need to go to bed. Lol.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own any rights to Gilmore Girls. All characters are the creation of Amy Sherman-Palladino.**

* * *

Rory was nervous. She had butterflies and her hands felt a little clammy as she made her way to the door. _Don't be nervous! What is wrong with you? It's just Tristan._ She opened the door and he was leaning against the entryway. He was wearing jeans and a plain light blue t-shirt.

He smiled, "Hey"

"Hey," she moved aside so he could come in.

"So, this is a nice place. Is this where you live?" Tristan commented as he took a look around.

"No, my townhouse is just getting new flooring, so I'm staying here for a couple days. Grandma wants me to live here and that's why it's decorated how I want." Rory went to go sit on the couch so she wouldn't feel awkward just standing there watching him.

Tristan followed suit and sat down. "Why don't you just live here then?"

Rory rolled her eyes at him, "You know that's not who I am. I work hard for what I have."

"Still the same Mary, just older and way hotter." he leaned back on the couch and winked at her. Her cheeks flushed a deep red. The room went silent for a moment. _I can't seem to control my flirting. Slow down, Dugrey. It's been 13 years since you've seen her. Don't chase her off._

"So...what do you want to order? There's a Chinese place that's really good or we can order pizza. Thai food or there's a sub shop that has amazing subs." Rory was rambling and Tristan just stared at her completely amused.

"You seem to know quite a few places that deliver, so I'm going to trust you and let you order whatever you're craving."

"Really? You'll eat whatever I order?" she looked skeptical. He nodded. She dialed a number and rattled off four different dishes into the phone. Gave the address and hung up.

He laughed, "Are you hungry? I've never seen anyone order that much food for two people."

"Who said I ordered any of that for you?" she turned to look him in the eyes, but he could see she was joking with him.

While they wait for the food, she explained to him what happened after he left for military school. About Paris and her slowly becoming friends, that she ended up at Yale instead of Harvard, Paris and her being roommates, and working at the Yale Daily News.

"Wow, I mean Paris and you becoming best friends. I never imagined." he shook his head in disbelief. He looked liked he wanted to ask her something else, but there was a knock on the door. Rory hopped up and walked quickly to open it.

"Foods here. It smells so good." she took a big whiff as she walked back to the couch with it. She opened the bag, put the containers on the coffee table, and sat back down. "Beef lo mein, pork egg rolls, chicken fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken."

She grabbed the lo mein and started to eat out of the container. Tristan stared at her because she ate like she hadn't eaten in days. She stopped eating and put the food down. She looked completely embarrassed.

"Oh my god. I'm sorry. I should get plates. I'm just used to sharing out of the containers." She made a move to get up, but he grabbed her arm.

"It's okay. I was just surprised. I've never seen you eat like that. Relax." Tristan picked up a pork egg roll and took a bite. "See? Totally fine."

Rory smiled and picked up the lo mein again. "Do you want to watch a movie? I have a few I keep over here."

Tristan looked like he actually gave it some thought before he answered. "No, I still haven't finished finding out about your life."

"What else do you want to know?"

"Well, you didn't tell me anything about the guys you dated." He put down the sweet and sour chicken and grinned at her.

Rory nearly choked on her noodles. She put them down and then took a large sip of her water. She coughed a couple times and Tristan looked concerned. "I'm okay. Just give me a second." She turned away from him to compose herself. _Why does he want to know about my exes?_

"You don't have to tell me. I'm being too curious for my own good."

Rory turned back to him. "No, I'll tell you, but you'll have to start talking about girls you dated. It's only fair."

He nodded in agreement, "Deal."

"So, there was Dean. We actually dated on and off 3 times. Your turn."

"Uh, okay. While in military school I didn't date. I went to college at the University of Pennsylvania. That's where I met Julie. We dated for a year."

"Why did you break up?"

He raised his eyebrow at her, "I didn't ask you why you dated the goon 3 times."

"Okay, after that I dated a guy named Jess. He reads a lot like me, but we have always been better off friends. He even wrote and published a book called The Subsect."

"After Julie, I didn't date for a while. Then, I met Lacey. That didn't last long, 5 months. She partied too much and I was really trying to keep my life on track." He picked up the fried rice and ate a bite.

She was chewing a bite of egg roll and was taking in what he was telling her. _He is different than he was at Chilton. He grew up, mostly._ "My last boyfriend was Logan Huntzberger. We dated for 3 years. He proposed to me when I graduated from Yale. I wasn't ready to settle down, so I told him no."

"Huntzberger? Mitchum Huntzberger's son? I thought you didn't like guys like that, Mary."

"I didn't like him at first, but during that time in my life, we just fit. I did love him."

"Sorry, I'm prying. Let's see, there was Isabelle. We dated for 2 years, but then she broke up with me because her career was more important than our relationship was." he looked at Rory, "I've kind of sworn off relationships since then."

"I understand that. I haven't had a serious relationship in a long time. I've gone on dates, but nothing solid." Rory looked like she was thinking hard about something. "Wait, UPenn? What did you get your degree in?"

"Law." he looked amused, "I'm a lawyer."

Rory looked at the time and realized she needed to get ready for a flight she had in the morning to London.

"I'm so happy that we got to catch up, but I'm going to have to kick you out now. I have a flight in the morning to London. I have to do an article on the conference the Prime Minister is having this week."

Tristan looked crushed, "It's fine. I'm glad we got to talk. We should keep in touch."

"Of course," she got her purse and pulled out her business card, "Here. It has my email."

He also pulled out his wallet and gave her his card. "Don't be a stranger, Mary."

She smiled, nodded, and walked him to the door. He turned around to hug her. She whispered, "It's Rory." in his ear. He whispered right back, "I know." and it sent a shiver down her spine. She pulled back and nervously tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Well, see you later."

"Have a good flight." he said as he walked out the door.

She shut the door and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. _What was she getting herself into?_

* * *

 **I tried to write a nice long chapter for you this time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the rights to Gilmore Girls. All characters are creations of Amy Sherman-Palladino.**

* * *

That night Tristan couldn't sleep, he was so wound up from being around her again. He hoped maybe this would all lead to something. He never got his chance at Chilton. They were young, she had a boyfriend, and he was a jerk to her because he didn't know how to express the feelings he had in his heart. He wasn't going to let her slip away this time. Life was different, they could actually be together. He grabbed his laptop and composed an email.

* * *

From: Tristan Dugrey

To: Rory Gilmore

Hi Mary,

I thought I'd email you before I went to sleep. I really had a nice evening getting reacquainted with you. I hope we can do it again when you get back from London. Have a good flight.

Yours,

Tristan

* * *

He stared at the email for a moment and then sent it. He had to get some sleep so he could properly function at work. The next morning he got ready for work and checked his email while grabbing a coffee at this great little place down the street from his job. He was disappointed when she hadn't emailed back yet. He knew she was busy, but he still hoped she would shoot him a short reply.

He went about his phone calls, meetings, and case files like any other day. In the back of his mind, he was just waiting on her reply. He knew it was silly of him to be anxious about it. He was a grown man, not a teenage boy. Around 1, when he finally decided to get out of the office and get lunch, his email alert on his phone beeped when he sat down at a small cafe a few blocks from work.

He nearly dropped the water he had just taken a drink of. He calmly put the water glass down before picking up his phone.

* * *

From: Rory Gilmore

To: Tristan Dugrey

Hi Tristan,

I read your email this morning before the flight, but did not get a chance to reply.

Yes, I would enjoy getting together again when I return. It's raining here in London. Typical, right? ;) The flight was fine, but I drank a couple glasses of wine and slept most of the flight. Do you know inflight meals are outrageously priced? I mean, $20 for what they call a British breakfast. Insane! Luckily, I travel with pop tarts and other snacks.

I hope your Monday is going well. I'll be back on Friday, midday. Well, I better get dinner.

See you soon,

Rory

* * *

It felt like he was grinning from ear to ear. He didn't realize he could feel so happy from a simple email.

* * *

From: Tristan Dugrey

To: Rory Gilmore

Hello Mary,

I'm glad you got to London in one piece. Raining in London? Who would have thought? Ha. Wine, huh? What kind of wine do you like? Red or white or both? I never pictured you as a drinker.

Yes, I know inflight meals are crazily priced, even for someone who has money. If I'm going to eat a small meal for $20, then I'd rather do it in a restaurant than in a cramped airplane. That sounds pretentious. I seriously didn't mean it to sound that way.

Well, I need to eat my lunch and get back to the office. What did you eat for dinner? Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours,

Tristan

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly. Tristan seemed to be on cloud 9 and even his colleagues noticed.

"Hey, Dugrey. You seem happier than normal."

Tristan smiled, "Well, I am. I reconnected with an old friend over the weekend unexpectedly."

"A woman?" James made a lewd motion with his hands.

Tristan balled up a piece of paper and threw it at James's head. "Hey, get your head out of the gutter. Yes, a woman. Someone from my Chilton days."

"I see," then James thought for a moment, "Wait! Mary? Your Mary?"

"How did you…?"

"You talk a lot when you're tipsy and you're way too happy."

"Remind me not to go drinking with you anymore." Tristan said sarcastically.

James scoffed, "You never get drunk, just tipsy. You're very controlled with your alcohol."

"I don't like to be drunk. Being tipsy is like sitting on the proverbial fence."

"If you say so," James got up to leave, "See you tomorrow."

"Bright and early," Tristan replied as he gathered his things.

When Tristan got home, he checked his email and there was an email from her. He opened it immediately.

* * *

From: Rory Gilmore

To: Tristan Dugrey

Tristan,

The rain finally stopped. Hopefully the sun will show itself tomorrow.

Yes, I do drink. I mean, I don't drink to get drunk. At least not anymore. So I can drink both red or white, but I am partial to Rieslings. Champagne is good, too. I do enjoy a good beer from time to time.

By the way, you didn't sound pretentious about the airplane food. I understood what you meant. I hope your lunch was tasty. I had some delicious Indian food. Some of the best I've ever had.

I'm heading to bed now. I'm exhausted.

Goodnight,

Rory

* * *

Tristan and her emailed back and forth for the next few days. Mostly short blurbs about their day. She was busy at the conference and writing up her article. He was busy with a case that James and him were preparing for.

Friday finally arrived and Tristan was thrilled. Rory had asked him to come to her place for dinner. She suggested watching Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, eating pizza, and a bunch of junk food. He didn't care what they did as long as he was with her. He knew they were just friends, but he wanted and hoped for so much more than that, of course only if she wanted that, too.

He picked up the pizza before heading over to her townhouse. She opened the door quickly as if she'd been waiting for him and led him to the living room. He sat the pizza down on the coffee table which was covered in bowls of candy and junk food. Red vines, pop tarts, marshmallows, jelly beans, chocolate kisses, chips, cookies, and popcorn.

He laughed, "Holy crap, Mary. You weren't joking."

"Why would I joke about Willy Wonka and junk food?" she smiled at him, "Sit down. After all the years of renting the video from the Stars Hollow video store, I finally own a dvd copy since I have my own home now."

"How many times have you seen this movie?"

"Oh, I don't know. Hundreds of times." she replied as she popped the movie in. "You've seen it, right?"

"Yeah, once. My nanny let me watch it when I was a kid. I wanted to eat a bunch of candy though after seeing it. I threw a fit when she wouldn't let me and then she finally gave in. I got sick because of eating so much candy and my parents were so mad. I think they fired her because of that."

"Wow, well don't eat too much candy. I'm not going to take care of you if you make yourself sick." she retorted with a smile. Her smile lit up the room. He loved it.

"I have learned to control my candy eating habits."

"Good. You had me worried for a moment there." she replied as she sat next to him. She grabbed the remote and pressed play. Then, she leaned over him to get some of the pepperoni pizza. She got two slices and handed him one when she sat back up.

The first 20 minutes of the movie were a little awkward. They were sitting next to each other, but not touching at all. They ate pizza and both munched on various junk. Then, Tristan decided to stretch his arm out onto the back of the couch, getting himself a little more comfortable. She picked up the bowl of popcorn, put it in her lap, and then leaned into him. He took that as a cue that he could put his arm around her shoulders. He could feel her relax and she laid her head on his shoulder. He could sit like this forever, it was like heaven. About 15 minutes later, he heard a small snore come from her and he realized that she had fallen asleep. Tristan didn't dare move. _She's probably still jet lagged and on London time. What should I do?_

After 10 more minutes, he decided that he had to move. This position was actually getting uncomfortable. He slowly moved his free arm to put the popcorn back on the table. Once the popcorn was off her lap, she was able to move into a more comfortable spot. She cuddled into Tristan more, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was still sound asleep from what he could tell.

He whispered, "Mary, Mary...you are driving me crazy right now, but I know you're tired." He moved so he could pick her up. He had decided to put her in her bed.

She woke up a little and asked groggily, "Tristan, why are you carrying me?"

"You're exhausted, Mary. Keep holding on to me, I'm putting you to bed. Your room is upstairs?"

She snuggled into his neck and nodded. On a normal basis, he didn't think she'd let him do this, but she was just out of it. He walked upstairs slowly so he wouldn't wake her again. When he got to her room, he set her down on the bed gently. He took the blanket that was hanging on the footboard and laid it over her. He kneeled down next to the bed, so he could be face to face with her. He brushed a few loose strands of hair from her face.

"Okay, I'm going to go now." he whispered. Rory's eyes fluttered open and she stared at him. She had the most mesmerizing blue eyes he'd ever seen. She blinked a couple times and then tried to sit up. He put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. "Don't get up, Mary. Go back to sleep. I can see myself out."

She bit her lip, "I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"Don't bite your lip like that, Mary. I might not leave this room."

She blushed, "You could stay."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. It's only been a week since we've gotten to know each other again." he said with a concerned look on his face. _The old Tristan would have never questioned an invitation to stay._

"I'm not implying anything sexual, I just meant that we'd actually sleep. I am tired and I wouldn't mind cuddling. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but it's my offer. "

 _Okay, I can do this. I can cuddle. I mean, it's a start._ "Okay, Mary. You got yourself a deal, but I need to go downstairs and clean up the living room. I don't want to leave all that stuff on your coffee table."

She tried to get up again. He stopped her again. "You shouldn't be cleaning up, you're my guest."

"It's fine. I'll be back in a little bit. I promise." He got up and left the room.

When she heard him get to the bottom of the stairs, she got up and changed her clothes into pajamas. By the time he got back upstairs, she was almost asleep again. She had however changed into pajamas that had happy little coffee cups on them.

"Nice pajamas."

"They are," she replied and tossed a pillow at his face. He caught it and threw it back on the bed.

"So...do you have anything I can wear? Or should I sleep naked?"

"There are some gray sweatpants over there." She pointed towards a chair in the corner without even looking.

He walked over and picked them up. He went into her bathroom to change. He came back out wearing the sweatpants and the white undershirt he already had on. Then, he felt extremely nervous. _Oh my god, why are you nervous? When was the last time you were nervous? It's just sleep and cuddles. Get yourself together!_

"Tristan...why are you just standing there? Lay down, so I can turn the light off."

He got in the bed and she turned the light off. He was laying on his back and he couldn't move. He was finally in his Mary's bed and he felt like he'd lost control of his body. He was nervous and afraid. He really did not want to mess anything up this time. She rolled over and moved his arm so that it was around her and she could snuggle into his chest. He pulled her closer to him and she responded by looking up at him. He looked at her and gave her a very gentle, sweet kiss. He could feel her smile and then snuggle back into him.

"Goodnight, Mary."

"Goodnight, Tristan."

* * *

 **Sorry, took me a few days with this one. I hope you like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own the rights to Gilmore Girls. All characters are creations of Amy Sherman-Palladino.**

* * *

Tristan woke up and felt completely rested, even though the clock said 5am. He hadn't slept like that in a long time. He rolled over and Rory was still sleeping. She was on her side and facing him. Her hair was everywhere and she looked so peaceful. He reached his hand over to brush her hair back behind her ear. He let his hand linger on her cheek ever so slightly, so she wouldn't wake.

 _You are so beautiful, even when you sleep_.

He started to pull his hand away when she brought her hand up to stop him. She gently pulled his hand back.

"You are supposed to cuddle. Where are you going?" she whispered with one eye open.

"Nowhere. Why are we whispering?" he replied while scooting over to pull her into his arms.

"It's too early to speak at normal volume," she responded before closing her eyes again. She snuggled into his chest and sighed quietly.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head before closing his eyes. They slept for a couple more hours wrapped in each other's arms.

He woke up to the smell of coffee. She still had her head on his chest, but she seemed to be waking up as well.

"I smell coffee."

She looked up at him, "I have it set on a timer. It brews at 7am every day."

She made a move to get up and he wrapped his arms around her so she couldn't. They were face to face now.

"No, stay in bed. It's Saturday." _Plus, I feel like this is just a dream and if you leave the bed, it will end._

"Tristan, you are getting in between a Gilmore girl and her coffee. Do you feel that is wise?"

"Well, no I don't, but I like this. Just laying here with you."

She looked him in the eyes, "If I promise to come straight back to bed after getting coffee. Will you release me?"

"I mean, a deal ca…" he started to reply, but she pressed her lips against his and he forgot what he was saying. He released her only so he could put his hands on either side of her face and deepen the kiss. She moaned a little and then she smiled before inching away from him and off the bed. "You tricked me and I liked it. Are you coming back?"

"We'll see."

He laid in the bed and waited for her return. After 10 minutes, he thought she wasn't coming back and he was going to get up to go find her. Tristan sat up and then she finally appeared in the doorway. She was carrying a tray with a plate and two coffee cups. He took the tray from her, so she could sit back on the bed.

"All I have for breakfast food is pop tarts or toast and jam."

"I like toast and jam." he replied as he picked a piece of toast up, took a bite, and then drank some of his coffee.

"Good." she sipped her coffee before grabbing a pop tart from the plate. They sat on the bed, ate, and drank their coffee silently. There was a new tension in the room.

"So...Rory, what does all this mean for us?"

"You called me Rory."

"Yes, I did because I'm being completely serious right now. I want to know what this is." He had a pleading look on his face.

"I like you. I mean, I liked you when we were teenagers, but we were young. There were so many other things going on. I don't know what this is. What do you want it to be? What do I want it to be?" She was babbling a mile a minute.

He smiled, "I want you. I want us."

"I want us, too."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Do you know how many years I've dreamed you would say that to me? Ever since the day I left you in that hallway when my dad took me away from Chilton."

"Really? You dated other girls, though. You liked them from what I could tell from our conversations."

"I did like them, even loved a couple of them, but you...you were always here." he gently put her hand over his heart.

"Tristan...you are such a sap." she smiled shyly.

"Don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my reputation." he winked at her.

"I don't make any promises, but my silence can be bought."

He feigned a surprised face, "Oh, really?"

"Mm-hmm. Coffee, food, kisses, books, movies, music, and a few other things."

"Well, then I better start today. Mary, will you go out on a date with me?"

"Yes, I'd like that. Not today though, my mom, Paris, and Lane are coming over." All of a sudden she looked panicked, "What time is it?!"

"It's 8:30."

"You have to go. They can't see that you stayed over here when I haven't even told them much, except that we're friends again."

"We're adults. They're adults. It'll be okay."

She stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. He could feel her panic even more and so he got up to grab his clothes and change.

"How long do I have?" he asked while he was throwing his shirt on over his undershirt.

"They said they would be here at 9:00."

He finished changing and she walked him downstairs.

"So, tomorrow for our date?"

She leaned in to kiss him. "Yeah, that sounds nice. Text me about the time and everything later. They're all staying the night over here for a girls' night."

She went to open the door for him without realizing there was a lot of chatter outside the door. As soon as she opened the door, all 3 women were staring at her and Tristan with extremely surprised expressions on their faces and were completely silent.

"Paris, Lane, Ms. Gilmore."

"It's Mrs. Danes," Lorelai retorted and then looked from him to her daughter, "Are we interrupting something?"

"No, Tristan was just leaving," Rory replied and looked at him apologetically.

"Yeah, I'm going to go. Excuse me." He tried to squeeze through Paris and Lane.

Paris was giving him her evil Paris stare and Lane just looked excited about the whole situation. He practically ran to his car when he got away from them. Those women were no joke.

Rory ushered her mom and two best friends in.

"You have some explaining to do, missy," Lorelai said as she came in last and she was smirking at Rory.

"Everyone in the living room. Coffee is in the kitchen." Rory replied as she shut the door. She let out a big sigh as she prepared herself mentally for all the questions she was about to get asked.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own any rights to Gilmore Girls. The characters are creations of Amy Sherman-Palladino.**

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Paris pounced first. "What was Tristan doing here so early in the morning?"

"He stayed over."

"Obviously. Did you sleep with him?" Lane inquired happily.

"If by sleep, you mean actual sleep, then yes." Rory stated matter of factly.

"Oh, loin fruit, she's asking if you two had sex." Lorelai quipped.

Rory rolled her eyes, "I know and that's not really any of your business, but no, we didn't."

"I thought that you two were just talking. How did it lead to him staying over?" Paris asked as if she were writing a news article.

"Yes, yes do tell and don't leave anything out." Lorelai said as she took a bite of a red vine that she'd found in the kitchen. She offered the others some as well.

Rory told them everything starting from them hanging out the day after Paris's engagement party to the moment she opened the door. Then, she looked at them, expecting more questions or a lecture. She was wringing her hands and paced back and forth in front of them.

"I think that you should take this chance. Having known Tristan for as long as I have, I still see the old Tristan, but we all grow up. We change. I mean, look at us. We hated each other." Everyone nodded at Paris's statement.

"Loin fruit, if you like Bible boy, we will give him a chance. If he hurts you, we know people that know people that do bad things."

"Mom…" Rory gave her mother an exasperated look.

"What? I'm just putting it out there."

"Okay, anything else you want to know?"

"Is there anything else you want to tell?" Lane answered with a question and a mischievous smile.

Rory shook her head no. She had already told them everything, even about the date tomorrow. They all stared at each other for a moment before practically dog piling her. They took her upstairs to her room to help her find the perfect outfit for her date.

After trying on her 10th outfit, she fell onto her bed, face first and was completely irritated that she couldn't find an outfit.

"I can't go on a date. I don't even know what to wear. I don't have anything to wear." she said as she rolled over onto her side. All the clothing laying underneath her.

Paris and Lane were still looking through her closet when Lorelai grabbed a dark green chiffon A-line top and a pair of black skinny jeans.

"This. This is it. Put this on." Lorelai shoved the clothing in front of Rory's face until she sat up to take them from her.

Rory put them on and then looked in her full length mirror. Paris, Lane, and Lorelai were standing behind her watching as she turned from side to side and inspected the outfit. She then turned around to face them. She was smiling approvingly.

"Finally," Paris remarked as she sat down on the bed.

"You can either wear these black flats with the gold tip or these dark grey suede pumps. Depends on where he's taking you." Lane showed her and laid them out, so she could choose tomorrow.

"Now that we found you an outfit. Let's go have lunch. I'm starving." Lorelai said as she began helping the girls put the clothing on the bed back where they belonged.

"I'll change and we can go eat." Rory responded as her phone's text message alert went off. She picked up her phone and looked at it.

Tristan Dugrey: Hey, I hope everything is alright.

Rory Gilmore: Yeah, everything is good. We're about to head to lunch. :)

Tristan Dugrey: Ok, I'm glad. How about tomorrow we have dinner at my place? I'll cook.

Rory Gilmore: You can cook?

Tristan Dugrey: Yes, I can cook. Learned it in military school and realized I actually liked cooking.

Rory Gilmore: Okay, that sounds nice. Wait...you aren't trying to seduce me, are you?

Tristan Dugrey: I'm always trying to seduce you. ;) Haha. I really do want to cook for you.

Rory Gilmore: Alright, send me the address and time.

Tristan Dugrey: No, it's a date. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't pick you up? I'm coming to pick you up at 6pm.

Rory Gilmore: Okay, okay. I have to go. They are all trying to read my text messages over my shoulder. See you tomorrow.

Tristan Dugrey: Hello ladies. See you tomorrow, Mary.

Lorelai pouted, "Aw, why did you have to tell him we were reading? You two could have started sexting."

"Mom! Eww…Don't say sexting ever again."

The rest of the afternoon and evening went as planned. They had lunch, went shopping, went to a movie, and then came back and watched old episodes of The Donna Reed Show until they all fell asleep.

* * *

 **Sorry, I've been busy as usual. Also, fun fact: Tanc Sade aka Finn followed me on Twitter a few days ago for no apparent reason. :D**


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